Lauric fractionated hard butters have been used for some time in replacing cocoa butter in confectionery coatings. Normally, these hard butters have to be tempered when they are used in such coatings. Tempering is a thermal process that stabilizes the crystal structure of the hard butter in the coatings, thus providing the coatings with better shelf life. It is known to add other lipoidal substances, e.g., lipoidal emulsifiers, to the hard butters to stabilize the crystal structure, alleviating the need for tempering. These emulsifiers, however, also affect the physical properties and organoleptic characteristics of the coating when they are used, and some of the properties are improved while others are degraded.
Usually, two, three, or more of the lipoidal emulsifiers may be used together, in the hope of providing a synergistic effect designed to improve most of the properties of the coatings while not degrading the rest of them.
By way of example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,586,615 teaches the value of sorbitan monostearate and polyoxyethylene sorbitan monostearate (polysorbate 60) as a bloom inhibitor. A similar combination was found to act as an "inhibitor against dulling," as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,671,027. Prior U.S. Pat. No. 2,999,023 refers to the value of sugar esters for gloss enhancing. In the publication "Food Engineering," of May, 1967, pages 79-82, polyglycerol esters are mentioned as being useful for confectionery coatings and chocolate, to maintain gloss properties. They are also said to minimize tempering and handling problems, and to aid these products to retain moisture, thereby preventing them from drying out during storage. Specific polyglycerol esters mentioned were triglycerol monooleate and decaglycerol trishortening.
British Pat. No. 1,297,579 teaches the use of polyglycerol esters in chocolate compositions to obtain aeration of such compositions. Tri- and tetraglycerol esters were mentioned as being preferred.
It is also known to use non-lauric (so-called domestic) hard butters in confectionery coatings. With these hard butters, it too is necessary to use a blend of emulsifiers to stabilize crystal structure and improve such properties as gloss retention and bloom resistance. One problem experienced, however, is that those emulsifiers useful with lauric hard butters are not necessarily useful with non-lauric hard butters. An advantage of the present invention is that the emulsifier blend thereof is useful for both lauric and non-lauric hard butters.